Falcon Fodder

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Good news, bad news for BG football

I have a day off today, so this seems to be as good a time as any to catch up on a couple of news items regarding the BGSU football team.

First, the good news: The Falcons have received a verbal commitment from the first player of their 2013 recruiting class.

Patric Hannon of Brush High School in Lyndhurst, Ohio (a Cleveland suburb) committed to BGSU earlier this month. The 6-1, 210-pounder plays running back on offense and linebacker on defense, but his coach, Josh Wells, said Hannon was recruited to play linebacker for the Falcons.

Hannon has played for the Arcs (yes, that is the school's nickname. The school is named for Charles Brush, who invented the arc lamp, hence "Arcs") since his freshman year, but he played in only four games as a freshman because of an ankle injury.

Last season he carried the ball 45 times for 237 yards (an average of 5.3 yards per game) and two touchdowns.For his career he has 147 rushing attempts for 742 yards (a 5.0 average) and 14 TDs.

On defense Hannon had 58 tackles as the main "hitter" in the Arcs' 5-2 defense.

"He didn't play much at running back because we had another player who fit our spread offensive scheme better," Well said. "But Patric is such a team player and great kid, he accepted that. BG is lucky to be getting him."

Well said that BG coaches -- particularly defensive coordinator Mike Elko -- were very excited to get the commitment from Hannon, who also had offers from both Toledo and Northern Illinois, among others.

"He's very hard-nosed, and he's a hitter," Wells said of Hannon. "When he gets an opportunity to make a hit, he makes the hit. He's very aggressive on the field, and he's a strong leader for our team. Plus, he's a smart player: When he sees an opening, he takes it.

"He never takes a play off because he has a high motor. Losing just isn't an option for him."

The bad news is regarding former Falcon Ben Bojicic, who already has been released by the Cincinnati Bengals. Joe Reedy, the Cincinnati Enquirer's highly regarded beat writer for the team, said the offensive center and guard positions were two deep spots on the Bengals roster.

Click here to read the brief note Reedy wrote about Bojicic getting waived.

BG softball team is honored by MAC

The Bowling Green softball team received a pair of post-season honors from the Mid-American Conference as coach Shannon Salsburg was voted coach of the year and pitcher Jamie Kertes was named freshman of the year.

Salsburg, who is in her sixth season at Bowling Green, led the Falcons to a 35-20 overall record, with a record of 15-7 record in MAC play. Salsburg pushed her team past the 30-win mark for the first time since 2007, and the Falcons earned 15 conference wins for the first time since 2006. BG's 23-game turnaround from last season marks the biggest improvement in the country.

Kertes was named freshman of the year after earning an 8-1 record in MAC 10 starts, giving her the third-highest win total in the conference. Kertes has experienced success in relief as well, ranking second in the conference with four saves.

Kertes’ 1.32 ERA ranks first in the conference, helping the Falcons to a league best 1.72 ERA as a team. Kertes has allowed just six walks in MAC play this season, and ranks second in the entire country in walks allowed per seven innings (0.6).  Kertes carries an impressive 1.07 WHIP, and has held opposing teams to zero earned runs in eight of her 15 appearances. Her 51 strikeouts rank just outside the top five in the conference, while her 63.2 innings pitched is among the top ten.

Kertes was named to the All-MAC first team and the league's all-freshman team.

Joining Kertes on the All-MAC first team was SS Hannah Fulk. The Junior set a single-season BG record by slamming 13 home runs and finished with a .319 batting average, 31 RBIs and 49 runs scored.

Joining Kertes on the all-freshman team was fellow pitcher Paris Imholz. Kertes finished with a season's record of 17-9 and had a 1.85 ERA for the season while striking out 78 in 182 innings.

Bowling Green, the third seed in the Mid-American Conference tournament, opens tournament play against the winner of the Central Michigan-Kent State game on Wednesday, May 9, at 7:30 p.m. The tournament will be played at Firestone Stadium in Akron through Saturday, May 12.

Mann named to women's coaching staff

Former BG women's basketball standout Ali Mann is returning to the program to become an assistant coach under new head coach Jennifer Roos, the school announced Tuesday.

Mann, a captain of the Falcons’ ‘Sweet Sixteen’ team of 2006-07 who ranks among the school's all-time leaders in both scoring and rebounding, officially begins her duties at her alma mater on May 23.

“Ali is one of the top young assistants in the coaching profession,” Roos said in a release. “She has gained valuable experience recruiting the Midwest region as well as nationally at two Division I institutions. Ali has performed a myriad of duties at both institutions and has excelled with those responsibilities.

“Along with her recruiting experience, her passion and knowledge of our culture and system at BGSU make her a great fit for our staff. She knows first-hand what it takes to be a champion on the court, and her drive to succeed also extended into the classroom as an undergraduate. She achieved great success while living out her dreams here at BGSU as a student-athlete; I am confident she will do the same as a coach, reconnecting with a campus and a community that has meant so much to her.”

Mann returns to BGSU after spending the 2011-12 season as an assistant coach at Colgate. Her coaching experience also includes two years (2008-10) as an assistant at IPFW as well as a head-coaching stint with the Quinta dos Lombos under-19 team in Portugal in 2010-11.

“I couldn’t be more excited to return to Bowling Green,” Mann said.  “Jennifer Roos has been a mentor and role model for me, both as a student-athlete and as a coach. I’m looking forward to learning even more from her and continuing the success of the BGSU women’s basketball program.”

A four-year starter at BGSU from 2003-07, Mann helped former coach Curt Miller’s program return to the top of the Mid-American Conference. She helped the Falcons to an average of over 25 wins per year, as BG went 103-25 during her tenure. The Falcons won MAC regular-season and tournament titles in each of her final three seasons, and won a pair of NCAA Tournament games against Oklahoma State and Vanderbilt in 2007, becoming the first MAC women’s team to advance to the Round of 16.

Mann finished her career ranked second in school history in career scoring (1,825 points) and third in rebounding (911 boards).  She earned all-conference honors in each of her four seasons, and became just the sixth player in MAC history to be named MAC Player of the Year, MAC Freshman of the Year and MAC Tournament MVP during her career. Currently, Mann ranks third in school history in both career scoring and rebounding.

As a freshman on the 2003-04 club, she averaged nearly 13 points and eight rebounds per game, helping the Falcons to a 21-10 record.  The victory total was a nine-win improvement over the prior season, one of the top turnarounds in the country. BGSU, picked to finish last in the MAC’s West Division, finished just a game out of first.  Mann was named MAC Freshman of the Year and helped the Brown and Orange all the way to the championship game of the MAC Tournament.

It would be the first of four-straight trips to the league tourney title game for Mann and the Falcons, as BGSU won league regular-season and tournament crowns in each of her final three seasons. After earning all-league honorable mention as a freshman, Mann was an All-MAC Second-Team pick as a sophomore as she averaged 13.8 ppg and 7.4 rpg and the Falcons won the league regular-season crown.

In her junior year, Mann became the Falcons’ first All-MAC first team selection in six years, and also was named the MAC Tournament MVP as BGSU won league regular-season and tourney crowns for the second straight year. Mann averaged a team-best 14.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game and was named to the Academic All-District Third Team that year.

Mann and her teammates enjoyed a storybook season in 2006-07, winning a MAC-record 31 games and advancing to the “Sweet Sixteen” of the NCAA Championships. Mann repeated as an all-league first-team selection, and was the MAC’s co-Player of the Year after averaging 15.5 ppg and 5.7 rpg. Mann had 20 points in the MAC Tournament championship-game win over Ball State, and then hit two of the biggest shots in school history the following weekend.

First, she knocked down a last-minute jumper in the lane as the Falcons defeated Oklahoma State in the first round of the NCAA Championships.  Two days later, Mann hit a late three-pointer to help the Falcons over #7/8 Vanderbilt in the second round.

Mann earned Kodak/WBCA All-America honorable mention that season, after being named to the all-region team. She was the first Falcon to earn that honor in nearly a decade.  A tri-captain for the second year in a row, Mann was named to the MAC All-Tournament Team for the third time in her career, and was listed among 30 candidates nationally for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award.  She was a repeat selection to the Academic All-District Third Team, and was voted to the Academic All-MAC Team for the third year in a row.

Mann left school as the BGSU career record-holder in both free throws made (482) and attempted (677), and still ranks third on both of those lists.  Mann remains fourth on the BGSU career list for three-point field-goal percentage, having made nearly 40 percent of her long-range attempts as a Falcon.

Mann played professionally with the main club at Quinta dos Lombos in 2010-11. She was appointed a captain within the first month of joining the team, and helped the club become the first in Portuguese basketball history to win the Federation Cup, the Portugal Cup and the national title all in the same year.

Mann’s professional playing experience also includes a stint with AB Contern in Luxembourg immediately after graduation, as well as five months with Clube Propaganda de Natacao in 2008.  She led that Portuguese team in scoring and rebounding, with 26 points and 12 boards per game, and earned all-league first-team honors.  Additionally, she was named to the All-Defensive Team and also earned MVP honors as the Portuguese All-Star game.

Mann was a supply chain management major at BGSU, and graduated with a 3.49 cumulative GPA.  In the 2010-11 season, she was one of 13 players to be named to the All-Anderson Team.

Justinger commits to BG women's basketball

Northview's Miriam Justinger, The Blade player of the year in women's basketball last season, has verbally committed to play for Bowling Green starting next season.

Justinger said she is waiting on the paperwork to sign her national letter of intent. Since she has not signed with the Falcons, new BG women's coach Jennifer Roos cannot comment on Justinger.

Last season Justinger averaged 19.6 points per game in leading the Wildcats to a 21-2 overall record and a Northern Lakes League title with a 14-0 mark. She added 4.9 rebounds and dished out 3.9 assists a game and finished with 1,109 career points.

Justinger originally committed to Kent State, but she asked for her release when the Golden Flashes did not rehire coach Bob Lindsay.

"I wanted to get a release when Kent State fired coach Lindsay because I didn't know who the coach would be, and I didn't know if the new coach would like me," Justinger said. "I didn't want to burn any bridges, but I wanted to see what my options were."

Justinger said she received offers from Akron, Youngstown State and Florida Gulf Coast before setting on the Falcons.

"It just felt right to me," Justinger said about the decision. "If you know, you know. I felt a connection right away with coach Roos. I feel she'll do a great job at BG, and it's the right place for me."

Northview coach Jerry Sigler said he was happy with Justinger's decision -- and not just because, as he laughingly said, both he and his wife are Bowling Green graduates.

"I'm happy this decision is behind her," Sigler said. "She has been a great player for us, a good player for Northview.

"She definitely wants to improve her game. She wants to play at the next level, and she wants to be good at the next level."

Bryant dismissed from BG football team

Junior offensive lineman Kyle Bryant was dismissed from the Bowling Green State University football team today.

Falcons football coach Dave Clawson announced that Bryant, a 6-5, 306-pounder, was dismissed because of an undisclosed violation of team rules.

Bryant, a graduate of Southeastern High School in Detroit, started six games for the Falcons last season at left tackle. Bryant saw action in nine games during his BG career.

Hulls leaves BG women's basketball team

Redshirt freshman Kaila Hulls has left the BG women's basketball team and will transfer to Indiana University, former Falcons head coach and new IU coach Curt Miller announced Monday.

Hulls, a graduate of Bloomington South High School in Bloomington, Ind., will begin classes at Indiana this summer, according to a release from the school. Besides living in the town where the school is located, Hulls' ties to Indiana include her brother Jordan Hulls, who just completed his junior season on IU's men's team, and her grandfather, John, who was a member of Bob Knight’s coaching staff in the early 1970s.

Hulls was forced to sit out last season due to an ACL injury suffered in drills before the season began. As a transfer, NCAA rules require that she sit out the coming season as well.

“We are excited about Kaila’s decision to return home and become a member of the Indiana Hoosier family,” Miller said in a release. “She is an outstanding player but more importantly an amazing person that will represent the University on and off the court. Kaila will be an outstanding building block for the next chapter of IU women’s basketball. She is a tireless worker, a fierce competitor and has great 3-point shooting ability. She is also a former Indiana All-Star, showing our continued commitment to recruit the best in the state of Indiana.”

BG football -- Spring Game wrap-up

There was a lot of stuff written about the Spring Game, which was won by the Orange squad (whose leaders, from left to right in the photo, are GM Matt Schilz, coach John Wagner and top draft pick Ted Ouellet). Here's a page that brings it all together.

FIRST, THE NEWS ...

Click here to read the story about the draft that created the Orange and White squads.

Click here to read the game story from the Spring Game.

Click here to take a BiG Look at the Spring Game.

And click here to find a number of links to stories leading up to the Spring Game, including rosters and more.

NEXT, THE ANALYSIS

Click here to read the five questions surrounding the BG football team as it prepares for fall camp.

Click here to read some thoughts following the spring game.

FINALLY, THE INSIDE STORY ...

Click here to read my story about serving as honorary coach of the Orange squad.

Here is the video of my pre-game speech to the Orange squad.

 

Roos named new women's basketball coach at BG

Bowling Green State University announced Monday that associate coach Jennifer Roos will become the school’s next women’s basketball coach.

The school will hold a press conference Tuesday to introduce Roos as the replacement for Curt Miller, who left BG on March 28 after 11 highly successful seasons to become head coach at Indiana University.

Roos spent the previous 11 seasons as Miller’s top assistant, helping the Falcons post a 258-92 record (.737) with five NCAA tournament appearances, three trips to the WNIT and eight consecutive Mid-American Conference division titles. The Falcons went 24-7 in 2011-12, winning the MAC’s regular-season crown with a 14-2 mark.

Roos served as the team’s head coach for two games this past season after Miller suffered a mild stroke in a mid-January game against Eastern Michigan. She led the Falcons to an overtime win at Central Michigan and a home victory over Northern Illinois.

The school interviewed two other candidates for the position besides Roos over the past few days: University of Michigan assistant coach Dawn Plitzuweit and Eastern Illinois head coach Brady Sallee.

Plitzuweit spent the previous five seasons as an assistant coach of the Wolverines, helping the squad post an 87-73 overall record (.544) and four post-season tournament trips. Last year the Wolverines finished 20-12 and earned the school’s first NCAA tournament bid since 2001.

Before that Plitzuweit was the head coach at Division II Grand Valley State for five seasons. She led the Lakers to an impressive 117-39 overall record (.750) and four NCAA tournament berths in five seasons, including the Division II national title in 2005-06. She also has served as an assistant coach at Michigan Tech, which is her alma mater, Wisconsin and Wisconsin-Green Bay.

Sallee has spent the past eight seasons as the head coach at Eastern Illinois University, posting a 136-110 record (.553) that includes a 106-55 mark (.658) in the past five seasons. On Friday Sallee received a three-year contract extension from the school after leading the Panthers to three WNIT berths and one WBI appearance in the past five seasons. Prior to that, Eastern Illinois had not earned a post-season berth since the 1987-88 season.

Before taking over at Eastern Illinois Sallee had served as an assistant coach at East Carolina, Kent State (1996-2002) and Idaho State.

Roos will be one of the few familiar faces remaining on the BG bench, as two assistants from last year’s squad, Brandi Poole and Kevin Eckert, are expected to follow Miller to Indiana.

The school posted an ad advertising an opening for a women’s assistant basketball coach on April 10.

Thoughts about 2012 Spring Game

Here are a few thoughts about Bowling Green's 2012 Spring Football Game, which was played Friday at Doyt Perry Stadium ...

• I think the format of the game is an important point to consider when analyzing the play of the team. By that I mean that when you mix the team up, the level of play is affected because you have people that may not work together a lot. I think that is especially true in three areas: offensive line play, the connection between quarterbacks and receivers, and special teams coverage.

• Offensive line play isn't just an analysis of how each player performs, it's also analysis of how the group works together. When the defensive line uses stunts and twists, the linemen have to count on teammates making proper reads and picking up loose pass-rushers.

• That's a long preview to set up this thought: I thought the offensive line played relatively well, especially when considered against the line play a year ago. Yes, there were seven sacks, but five were against one line (White). I thought the Orange line, which was going against Chris Jones and Ronnie Goble, among others, performed reasonably well. I thought the best testament to that was the final drive, when the Orange needed to grind out first downs against a defense that knew it was going to run the ball ... and the Orange got the job done.

• Still not convinced that the offensive line was OK? Then let's compare the negative numbers from this year's game to last year's contest, where it was obvious that the defensive line dominated. In 2012 there were nine rushes that gained zero yards or a loss; in 2011 there were nine rushes that gained zero yards or a loss IN THE FIRST HALF and 18 such runs for the game. There were seven quarterback sacks in 2011, and there were seven quarterback sacks IN THE FIRST HALF in 2011, which saw 11 sacks for the game.

• Something else to consider: since it's the Spring Game, the team is running a "base" offense and "base" defense. If you notice, there wasn't a great deal of shifting before offensive plays. I may be wrong, but I think the offense is hindered more by that "base" level of play. I think the defense still can go out and make individual plays in a "base" defense, and the offense has to count on either a mistake or an exceptional individual effort to make a big play while running a "base" offense.

• Back to one of my early comments about how a Spring Game affects quarterbacks working with receivers they may not have thrown to much during practices leading up to the game. I believe that to be true, but even so I thought the Falcons' wide receivers had a disappointing effort Friday. I thought there were moments when some receivers stepped up, but I also thought there were moments when the same receivers fell back. I think the onus is on this group of players to step forward if the Falcons want to return to a bowl game in 2012.

• Don't know how much credit the defensive backs should get for the struggles of the wide receivers, but they deserve some. If the defensive backs continue to improve as much as they have this spring, they have a chance to be a force in 2012. And with all the returning talent on the defensive line and at linebacker, well, that would make the BG defense a force in the conference if they did.

• At the risk of suffering from "spring fever" -- a coach I knew once said that "spring fever" is the habit of some people who watch spring practice to turn players into future superstars -- I thought Ryan Burbrink is a player who can help the Falcons at wide receiver. His seven catches for 46 yards mark him as a potential possession receiver, in the future if not now, although I would guess some of his success was because he worked a lot this spring with QB Matt Johnson. Still, he seems to be a tough player who can hang onto the ball, and there's always a use for receivers who can do those things.

• "Spring fever" part two ... I thought Deejay White was a nice switch from wide receiver to running back, and I hope it continues when fall drills start. I thought White did a nice job of accelerating through holes and running north-south instead of east-west. I like running backs who aren't afraid to "run tough" between the tackles.

• I am surprised there hasn't been much complaining about the penalties. The game basically was decided by a personal foul call, and it came AFTER the fourth-down play. And I'm not complaining that the call was right or wrong -- I'm complaining that a disciplined team can't put itself in that position. If Bowling Green wants to complete for a Mid-American Conference title and a bowl bid, penalties like that just CANNOT happen. The White was whistled for six penalties that cost them 52 yards, and the Orange was pushed back 30 yards on four penalties. That ain't gonna cut it.

• "Spring fever" part three ... Defensive lineman Taylor Royster finished with six tackles for the White and had several sacks during scrimmages earlier in the spring. Not bad for a converted running back who is a walk-on from Lima Central Catholic High School.

Click here to take a BiG Look at the Spring Game. Click here to read the Saturday game story from the spring game. And click on the "comments" link below if you have questions and/or comments about the Spring Game.

BiG look at 2012 Spring Game

The Orange squad got a 19-yard touchdown run by Jamel Martin with 3:51 left, and Matt Oczypok's PAT kick gave the Orange a 14-13 victory over the White at Doyt Perry Stadium in the Spring Game Friday, April 13. Here's a look at the contest. ...

BiG TWITTER POST: Well-coached Orange squad scores TD with 3:51 left to claim 14-13 victory over White in BG's 2012 Spring Gme at Perry Stadium Friday

BiG OVERVIEW: The Falcons had good moments on both offense and defense -- or bad moments on offense and defense, if you are a pessimist. The first quarter saw two long drives, with the Orange seeing the drive stall and the White getting a 29-yard field goal by Tyler Tate. Heath Jackson took the ensuing kickoff 84 yards to set up a 2-yard TD toss from Matt Schilz to Herve Coby early in the second period. After that neither team generated much offense, and the Orange led 7-3 at the half. In the third quarter White dominated the field-position game and turned it into a 25-yard field goal by Tate with 12 seconds left in the quarter. Early in the fourth period Alex Carter raced through the line 66 yards for a score that gave the White a 13-7 lead. But the Orange drove 42 yards on nine plays and used a 19-yard touchdown run by Jamel Martin with 3:51 left to regain the lead 14-13. Cameron Truss sealed the win by intercepting a pass by Matt Johnson and the Orange offense got two first downs to end it.

BiG PLAY: The most important play in the contest was a downer for both sides. It came with the Orange trailing 13-7 in the fourth quarter but having drive to the White's 31. Facing a fourth-and-10, Matt Schilz threw an incompletion to Chris Gallon that seemed to end things for the Orange. But a personal foul was called on the White, giving the Orange new life: a automatic first down, and the ball moved to the White's 16, with Jamel Martin scoring the game-winning touchdown two plays later.

OFFENSIVE  BiG MAN, ORANGE: Sophomore wide receiver Heath Jackson was a big part of the Orange offense, catching a team-high five passes for 44 yards, with a long of 16 yards. Jackson ran one jet sweep for three yards, and he made a huge contribution on special teams, returning a kickoff 84 yards to set up his team's first touchdown. He finished with 141 yards on four kickoff returns, an average of 35.25 yards per return. Jackson finished with a game high 188 all-purpose yards. ... Honorable mention to RB Jamel Martin, who had a game-high 86 yards rushing and one TD on 20 carries; QB Matt Schilz, who completed 19-of-36 passes for 185 yards and one TD with no turnovers; and WR Herve Coby, who caught four passes for 50 yards with a long of 24 and a nifty 2-yard TD catch.

OFFENSIVE  BiG MAN, WHITE: Freshman wide receiver Ryan Burbrink led all receivers with seven catches for 44 yards, with the longest going nine yards. Burbrink also had a punt return of 18 yards in the second quarter. ... Honorable mention to RB Alex Carter, whose 66-yard TD run allowed him to finish with 67 yards rushing on three carries; QB Matt Johnson, who completed 16-of-30 passes for 131 yards despite getting sacked five times and pressured several others; and WR Je'Ron Stokes, who finished with five catches for 54 yards, including a 26-yard catch-and-run on the White's first play from scrimmage.

DEFENSIVE BiG MAN, ORANGE: There were several players who put together strong performances for the Orange, but let's give the nod to junior Cameron Truss, who finished with five tackles in the contest. He also made the play that sealed the win for the Orange, intercepting a Matt Johnson pass near midfield that allowed the Orange to run out the clock for the win. Truss also broke up another pass in the win. ... Honorable mention goes to DB Brian Sutton, who led the team with 10 tackles -- including six solo stops -- and also had a sack; LB Coy Brown, who had seven tackles in his first Spring Game after enrolling in school in the spring semester; and DT Ted Ouellet, who justified his position as the Orange's top draft pick by finished with three sacks and four tackles.

DEFENSIVE BiG MAN, WHITE: This squad also didn't lack for candidates, but one who stood out was DB Darrell Hunter. The true sophomore finished with seven solo tackles, intercepted one pass to give the White good field position in the third quarter, and broke up three others passes. ... Honorable mention goes to junior DB BooBoo Gates, who led his team with nine tackles, including six solo stops, and had one tackle for loss; LB D.J. Lynch, who had eight tackles, including five solo stops; and DE Ronnie Goble, who had six tackles, including one sack and one other tackle for loss.

SPECIAL TEAMS BiG MAN, ORANGE: He was on the field for just five plays, but junior K Matt Oczypok handled his work flawlessly. His three kickoffs averaged 56 yards per kick, and he made both of his extra points, including a pressure-packed kick with 3:51 left to play that proved to be the difference in the game. He also laid down a beautiful on-side kick to start the second half, although that play was nullified by a penalty. Remember, the Falcons haven't been practicing on-side kicks (so who was the knucklehead coach who called for it? Oh, never mind). ... Honorable mention to junior punter Brian Schmiedebusch, who averaged 41.6 yards per punt, including a long of 47, and landed two inside the 20; Heath Jackson, who was mentioned above; and Travis Greene, who had a 15-yard punt return but also fumbled one other punt.

SPECIAL TEAMS BiG MAN, WHITE: Junior punter Brian Schmiedebusch was terrific for the Orange team but was outstanding for the White. He averaged 43.2 yards per punt on six kicks, including a long of 51, and had three kicks downed inside the 20. Only a paranoid Orange team "coach" would notice that all of those numbers were better than his numbers kicking for the Orange. ... Honorable mention to Ryan Burbrink, who was mentioned above; K Tyler Tate, who averaged 57.5 yards on four kickoffs, made his lone PAT kick and also made field goals of 29 and 25 yards; and Diontre Delk, who returned three kickoffs 86 yards, with a long of 36 yards.

 

BiG NUMBERS: One area worth watching in the contest was the competition between the defensive line and the offensive line. While the D-Line did seem to have the better of the play, it didn't dominate as it did in last year's spring game. The Orange offensive line gave up just two sacks on 44 pass attempts and had just six of its 31 rushing attempts go for zero or negative yards (I'm not counting the two plays run in "victory" formation). Things didn't go quite as well for the White, which did suffer five sacks, but the White also had only three running plays for zero or negative yards (and the total was minus-2). I guess the title of this note was misleading: Perhaps the "BiG" news was that the negative "numbers" by the offensive line weren't that big.

BiG QUESTION: Can the Falcons continue to make strides in the summer? There still are questions to be answered, especially at wide receiver and on the offensive line. There also is some tweaking that can help the team improve at nearly every positon. But, as coach Dave Clawson reminded the media after the contest, the Falcons won't play an official contest until September, so there is time.

Click here to read The Blade story from Friday's Spring Game.

Check back here Sunday for a few additional thoughts about the game, and the team, as spring practice comes to an end.